Mass Effect 5: From The Ashes
by TheLastSpectre
Summary: The galaxy is at rest. Most think the war has ended. But in reality, it is only just beginning. In a race against time, the crew of the Normandy must bring the fight that Shepard started eight years prior back to the forefront, and win it once and for all. But not every battle that heroes fight is a victory...
1. Chapter 28: Rise Against

Desert planets are...dry.

Unimaginative, yes, but it was one of the more poignant thoughts running through Tali's head. The others involved the odd stratagem or evac procedures, with the occasional dire possibility of failure topping it all off. She was leaning against a crate in the _Normandy_'s docking bay, examining a holographic image of the planet they were about to dock on. Though, perhaps 'dock' wasn't the right word. In actuality, they were going to invade it.

She thought back to the week or two previous - she'd lost count of exactly how many days had passed since the Citadel fiasco. Whatever the number was, it wasn't big enough. There were simply too many things to process, too many miracles to calculate. It was fortunate that they had mostly kept moving, or she might have needed to stop and think about all of them. Much like she was at that very moment. Almost unintentionally, she slipped back into deep thought, taking due consideration to everything that had happened. She had been sitting outside her home by the lake when she'd received the call. Kaidan asked her aboard the _Normandy_ for some kind of secret mission, and with old faces like Garrus and Joker aboard, how could she not?

She hadn't really thought about the whys until it was far too late. As it turned out, the Council had asked Kaidan to investigate an unearthed area of the Citadel's core from which some unknown signal was emerging. It had been Reaper strings, mixed in with organic thoughts and a few alternating bits of binary. It hadn't told them much, but it gave them a direction. It lead them right to Shepard. Tali was still seething about Kaidan's choice to leave her in the dark with regard to his suspicions. But it only got worse from there. Their old enemy Harbinger had somehow managed to latch on to Shepard's body after she'd destroyed the Reaper fleets using the Crucible five years previous, and her memories were a blur during the struggle to find someone to help.

Well, they had. With the help of Miranda and Dr. Solus (Mordin's nephew, Tali thought grimly, not the real deal), they'd managed to obtain a new host body and revive Commander Shepard for another life. She should have known at that point that it was all too good to be true. Harbinger offered them a deal; in exchange for his life, he would help them find a supposed shield world where the _rest_ of the Reaper fleets were holed up, and destroy it. She was beginning to wonder, though, if that had been a convenient lie to cover his escape. Barely hours after he'd made that claim, he escaped with Cerberus troops to nowhere.

Not entirely nowhere. More like 'unknown-where'. An Alliance scientific colony hidden on a thick jungle world was hit next, or so she'd been told. Tali personally had spent the entirety of that mission getting embroiled in her own problems on the Citadel. At first, she thought it might have been just a quick drop-off of medical supplies and then maybe getting to chat up one of their new crewmates, Davisson (a man who she still hadn't quite figured out). Instead, they found themselves fighting a quarian terrorist group. It had ended in explosions, fighting, yelling, all the usual.

At the memory of that escapade, Tali's teeth ground together. _Amber Wave_. Barely a few years old as an organization, but already causing her too many problems. They claimed to represent quarian interests, but they had proved more than willing to murder their own people if it would get their way. During the fairly brief period of unrest on Rannoch after the Reaper War ended, she had needed to spend almost all of her time stopping them in their tracks before they could do any harm to the initially-fragile cooperation system between the Quarians and Geth. But they had still killed thousands. Before the Citadel, she'd harbored the hope that they'd even disappeared completely. They hadn't shown themselves openly until then, at least. With a surge of horror, she realized that if she and Davisson hadn't been involved, no one _would_ have known they were responsible. How many other deaths had they caused without assigning their names, she wondered?

And now, she was back to fighting battles that seemed eerily familiar. The _Normandy_ was to meet Miranda on some dead world - LV426 - and investigate a Cerberus outpost. According to Shepard (who was confined to the Med Bay, much to her displeasure), Harbinger was there, ready for the taking. In Tali's opinion, they needed to space him immediately if they got a hold of him again. Scratch that. He didn't need a breathe. Set him on fire, then. They didn't need another thorn in their sides during all of this. If he _had_ been telling the truth, the news of a Reaper shield world was enough to warrant attention on its own.

She sighed, closing the omni-tool display and looking around. No point in changing their course now.

To her left, so still that he might have been mistaken for one of the supply crates if not for his built, Jeddah was standing watch over the bay. The presence of the geth was comforting, even more so given that Tali knew he was coming with her and the others planetside. Aside from his skillset being useful, she'd feel better knowing that her friend was by her side.

A ways away, Vaya and Liara were having a quiet conversation. That was another person aboard whom Tali didn't understand. Corporal Vaya exuded professionalism, but her manner was colder than what Tali considered 'usual'. Though, that may have simply been because most of her exposure to turian soldiers was Garrus, and even _he_ admitted that he wasn't anywhere near his species' standard.

Tali had noticed a startling change in Liara over recent times. The last time they had both been on the _Normandy_, the Shadow Broker had been, while certainly more subdued, still on the whole like her old self. Now, though, Tali was beginning to see the traces of her persona coming through. She had to admit to herself that she'd seen bits and pieces ever since Illium, but had pushed the thought aside in favor of giving the blame to stress. Maybe that was still all that it was. Tali wasn't too sure. What she did know was that for some reason, Liara and Davisson had apparently seen fit to remain as cold towards each other as possible. She wasn't sure whose side to take, if at all.

EDI's platform was standing almost as still as Jeddah on the opposite side of the bay. From what she could gather over her connection to Jeddah's primary systems over her omni-tool, the two AI were having another silent conversation. They seemed fascinated by one another, particularly in regards to the discrepancies inherent in their design. From what Tali could gather, EDI suspected that she grew more integrated into organic society via mimicry, while Jeddah's advancements in that area were pre-programmed. While Tali couldn't comment on that directly to either of them (technically speaking, Jeddah's design was a secret), she also recognized that Jeddah himself was fairly impressed by how easily EDI could adapt to situations she wasn't necessarily programmed for. He had explained to her that, by comparison, he took much more time to adapt to certain concepts or situations, but what he already had was, courtesy of Tali's forethought, already very thorough.

Deshayla the krogan was pacing in circles around an ammo crate, grumbling about something. From what little of her Tali knew, she suspected that the battlemedic was either reciting chemical equations or muttering a drinking song. Possibly both. While Tali didn't know enough about her to make a complete judgment yet, she _did_ remember how easy combat situations were with a krogan in tow, and was therefore happy to have Dr. Solus' assistant with them.

That just left Bob.

As per usual, he was leaning against a wall in the darkest corner of the room, staring around at all of them with his glowing blue eyes, the only parts of him visible beneath the hood, possibly by design. If Vaya and Deshayla were enigmas, then Crazz qualified as an utter mystery for the ages. Unlike the rest of them, he seemed to be along for the ride, rather than the goal. Though, she recognized that he was primarily guided by morality (which reassured her somewhat), she couldn't help but feel like his idea of it would be alien to her, much like the rest of his thoughts. So long as he didn't go overboard with the poetry. She briefly wondered, not for the first time, if taking him to the Cerberus base was a good idea. Mostly because he _was_ Cerberus, or had been. Then again, so had Miranda. From what Shepard and Renar said, he could more than hold his own in a fight, and was thus an asset, but he looked too much like a husk from those augmentations for her to feel entirely safe around him.

"Okay, everybody, weapons hot and masks on, the door opens in five..." Joker's voice transmitted startlingly into the bay, jolting Tali to attention. She grasped the comforting handle of her Arc Pistol and looked over at Jeddah. He didn't have a weapon, but his nigh-unbreakable fists and twin omni-blades covered his weaponry fairly well, and that wasn't even getting into the things he could do with technology. Everyone else grabbed for their weapons of choice (Tali noted that Vaya had a sniper rifle and briefly wondered whether that was a turian-specific weapon or something) and moved towards the massive doors separating the interior of that level of the ship from the hot, barren surface of LV426. She thought idly that the planet needed a name that was easier to remember. Maybe Garrot or Naal.

True to his word, Joker activated the exit sequence five seconds after his announcement, and the door opened with a loud hiss. A massive jolt ran through the _Normandy_ as it touched down, and as one, the team of seven moved into their new battlefield.

* * *

The terrain seemed to be actively working against them for most of the trek. Heavy gusts of wind slammed into them repeatedly, threatening every moment to toss at least one of them off-balance. The heat was causing mirages for some of them, or at least for those who could actually see anything. The rest had to contend with the distortion that the reddish sands were causing along the landscape, or the occasional hole concealed by only a few inches of ground cover.

Vaya loved it.

Her visor could focus on thermal readings rather than movement, and the 'poor' conditions made her even less visible than usual. She was confident that she could approach within mere meters of an enemy squadron before they noticed she was coming, and by that point the wind mucking up her shots wouldn't matter.

Aside from that, she was determined to replace the incident on Eros with something that proved her competence. The matter in question still made her seethe, and her self-control kept her from growling audibly, but only barely. She'd elected to bring an enemy down with a flashy series of techniques rather than eliminate him quickly, simply to satisfy herself. But she'd taken too long; it had cost them a phase of the plan, gotten her pinned down, and almost caused the deaths of two of her superior officers. Worse, she'd had to be _rescued_. That was an experience she had never thought she would need to repeat.

Frankly, she'd been amazed that Admiral Vakarian allowed her on an immediately subsequent mission. This time, though, she was determined to do things right. No more movements and risks only suitable for a mating display. There was a time and place, and LV426 was neither. In. Out. Objectives. Targets.

Unbeknownst to her, some distance away in the middle of the group, Bob was having concerns of his own.

_They are immoral. Corrupted. They are not your comrades-in-arms. _He told himself firmly. This was his mantra, his silent assurance as they moved ahead. He couldn't afford to hesitate. It might draw suspicion. That was something he couldn't afford. Especially not with the hawks watching him.

One of them did a fair job of hiding it, but Bob had a knack for reading people. T'Soni had talent, but she couldn't hide the ruthlessness behind her exterior completely. It wasn't that she lacked them - she simply felt she only had any ruth to spare for a select few people. Bob wasn't on the list. His thoughts were sidetracked by the realization that he'd just used 'ruth' as a singular concept. Was that where the phrase came from? Did someone only have so many 'ruths'?

Deshayla, further down the row, for her part, had no such deep philosophical quandaries. She was simply bored. As a native to Tuchanka, she was quite used to harsh weather, but she'd never been able to stand just walking for entire minutes over and over. She could handle samples, files, and the like. At least then she had something to concentrate on. But a desert world of the like she was plodding atop had nothing but endless wastes. Maybe it was just the krogan in her (all right, _all over her_), but she'd much rather have been killing something.

EDI and Jeddah were having a conversation that was much like the opposite viewpoint. EDI's systems, as always, tracked and saved the exchange as a document, using initials for ease of recognition.

E: _I still do not fully understand your unwillingness to damage organics in a lethal manner._

J: _Not only organics. I respect the right of any sentient to live._

E: _An interesting statement, given your actions on Eletania._

J: _I did not cause the death of the organic soldier. I incapacitated her. Corporal Vaya's intervention resulted in her death._

E: _Your manner seems illogical, given your duties._

J: _In what way?_

E: _Do you not recognize the necessity of lethal force in a situation that may result in your destruction, or the destruction of Admiral Tali'Zorah?_

J: _I recognize the value placed by other sentients on lethal violence. However, I do not find it necessary. If it is possible to incapacitate an opponent using lethal force, then it is equally possible to incapacitate them without ending their life._

E: _For what reason do your forgo expedience?_

J: _Not every sentient life form can place their central processing stations in a new unit after the first has been destroyed as easily as synthetics such as ourselves, EDI._

E: _I see. Do you consider my methods of thinking callous?_

J: _You imply that my answer demonstrates whether you are right or wrong. I am not at liberty to decide whether an action or thought is right or wrong, whether in the moral or technical sense. I can only reliably note the differences between yours and my own._

E: _As always, our conversation has given me several things to consider. Thank you, Jeddah._

J: _You are welcome, EDI._

At the front, Liara held up her hand. The entire group stopped in their tracks until she motioned them forward ever so slightly. Deshayla was the first to the forefront, but all of them caught a glimpse of the large blob over the crest of their hill.

"About time." The krogan grumbled. "Why'd we have to walk here, though?"

"The base is teeming with anti-aircraft defenses." Vaya said. "Were you even listening at the briefing?"

Deshayla shrugged. "I was busy getting ready. Couldn't decide on the right gun."

Liara noted critically that Deshayla's belt seemed to be composed mostly of pistols. Scratch that - mostly of _hand cannons_. "I take it you failed at deciding?" She asked.

"Depends on your definition of 'failure'." Deshayla grunted. "You think I'm gonna run out of ammo?"

"Do you think you'll need it?" Bob inquired.

"Ever been in a firefight with no clips?" Deshayla asked, turning one eye at the agent.

"Yes." Bob told her bluntly.

"Then you can understand how I'd rather be safe than sorry." Deshayla turned away again.

"Do you think Miranda's already inside?" Tali asked Liara.

Liara shook her head. "I'm not sure. The description of her entry plan was...vague."

Tali motioned ahead. "If she's waiting for us, we should go."

"But if she isn't, we could be running directly into a heavily fortified outpost with no cover." Liara pointed out.

"What option stops us standing around on this hill like idiots?" Deshayla asked.

"Going around seems tactically advisable." Vaya said, ignoring Deshayla. "Or producing a distraction. Or both."

"If there are any security systems more advanced than a rock, I can break them." Tali said assuredly.

"You should take EDI with you, in case you need backup." Liara said. "The rest of us can enter first once you are in position."

"And standard positions for everyone else?" Vaya asked.

"Of course." Liara glanced to her right and immediately caught on to what the Corporal was trying to point out. "Ah...Bob?"

"Yes?" Bob replied, only narrowly avoiding referring to the asari as 'Viper' on instinct. He reminded himself to keep the nicknaming to a minimum for a time. He doubted any such things would go over well in that company.

"How do you fight?" Liara asked.

"I prefer close range." He explained. "It keeps my options open. Though anything closer than sniping distance is something I can adapt to."

"Guess you'll be keeping my hump company." Deshayla said grudgingly. "Just don't get in my way."

"As you will, warrior." Bob nodded, feeling mildly confident that the krogan wouldn't understand the reference. Sure enough, he was absolutely certain that she was giving him an odd look under the helmet. Though, the greatest indicator was her moment of relaxation; clearly, she considered that a deferential compliment. Ah, if only she'd known.

"We had best be started." Vaya said grimly. "The distance is in kilometers."

In unison, they trudged down the hill. It was much like trudging up the hill, except that they stumbled more times in the process. EDI and Jeddah (and Bob as well, to an extent) were somewhat bemused by the entire escapade, mostly because they hadn't considered the difficulty inherent in moving downhill at a brisk pace without utilizing balancing systems designed to keep one's body level. Then again, they hadn't ever needed to go without. Of the organics (or, at least, complete organics, thus excluding the aforementioned Bob), Tali and Vaya had the most trouble with the descent. Vaya because biologically, her body wasn't exactly made for being nimble _and_ slanted. And Tali simply because she wasn't as agile as everyone else in the first place. And she hadn't exactly made preparation for this type of situation a priority in the previous weeks.

Deshayla was almost in her natural environment (aside from the fact that her 'natural' environment was a good deal more deadly, of course). A walking krogan was always unwieldy and cumbersome, so the downward angle didn't faze her that much. And Liara was, of course, cheating by grace of a biotic field that lessened how hard gravity drew her in ever so slightly. She looked much like she was walking on air occasionally, mostly because she literally was, on every other step.

Halfway down, the group split as Tali and EDI began to circle around the front of the base. Under normal circumstances, they might have been using guesswork, but with Jeddah and EDI calculating the distance covered by every step, the exact distance between them and the outpost, and how much the parting would put off the numbers, the duo only had to worry about starting off at the right signal. They didn't even break stride.

The rest of them began to gradually prepare for what lay ahead. Their thought processes were somewhat like portents of doom as Liara, Vaya, and Deshayla were each mostly concerned with how many foes they could bring down before dying in a worst case scenario. In a refreshing constant, however, Bob was merely alternating between admiring the scenery (or, given how flat Planet Garrot/Naal was, the lack thereof) and humming cheery tunes to himself. In this case, an old earth song by the legendary composers Gilbert and Sullivan that he found most appropriate to the situation.

"They've set up barricades." Vaya alerted them through the comm channel. Liara saw that the turian was looking through her scope for maximum range of identification, and in fact had been for the past hundred or so meters.

"Then we break them." Deshayla said, as though it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"I would much rather set up an appropriate killzone first." Vaya said.

Deshayla grunted. "Hmph. You just want to steal first blood."

"Fringe benefits."

Liara resisted the urge to sigh. The tactics and engagements she could handle. Even in-combat commands, to an extent, but the other aspects of her new leadership role (specifically keeping everyone in line) were more difficult than Shepard made them seem. It made her feel slightly less put-upon that Tali was also part of the joint command, but the relief was substantially decreased by the thought that neither of them really felt comfortable with it. Tali had more experience, but none of them were exactly her people.

"Jeddah and Deshayla, with me." She interrupted. "Vaya, get into a position where you are far enough away to remain unseen, but close enough to hit them reliably."

She paused and looked aside. She wasn't as familiar with the abilities of their newest 'compatriot' as she'd like, but she couldn't well have him do nothing, nor place him in a suboptimal position. "Bob..." Goddess, but that name was still strange to her, for some reason.

"In silence dread..." He paused in his melodic undertone. "Hmm?"

"Get as close as you can, but stay behind us. Distract, eliminate, and control to the best of your ability." That should give him enough of a berth to use what he can, she thought, then swapped back to communications to the entire squad. "Tali, are you in position?"

"Yes." Tali said. "But something's off...these security systems are a lot more advanced than I expected. Certainly nothing like the last two locations."

"Perhaps they have learned?" Vaya suggested.

"No, that would be against protocol." Bob interjected. "Cerberus installations don't communicate outside their groups. The anti-air defenses make me think this is a hub of militaristic focus. Which would mean that unless your previous experiences also involved the same setup, this is just a more protected safehouse."

"But a safehouse for what?" Deshayla asked.

"One of life's great mysteries 'till we meet what secrets lay inside." Bob rolled his shoulders. "Or possibly just the latest batch of augmentations. Either one."

"You mean the kind that got you out looking like a husk and a mech got shacked?" Deshayla asked in her approximation of innocently.

"Just so." Bob replied cheerfully.

Liara looked to Bob. "Do you have any advice for us if we fight operatives with the same versions as you have?"

"Use something with a wide spread." Bob said. "Be it weaponry or biotics. Or something instantaneous, and unavoidable. Shotguns, shockwaves, stasis barriers and any type of field come to mind." He mulled the matter over some, then continued. "And don't get close. Being within arm's length means instant death."

"And you're not _worried_ we'll use this to kill you?" Deshayla asked dryly.

"It helps that I don't intend on being in a situation where that becomes necessary." Bob said. He looked Jeddah up and down. "Oh, and if it ever comes to fighting Phoenix 9's, send him in the front. Or the ship's onboard AI chassis."

"What." Tali said on the other end of the group's communicators.

"They don't have organic clusters like you or I." Bob explained. "It makes them substantially harder to eliminate in hand-to-hand combat. To say nothing of their superior reflexes."

"Well why don't we put you at the front?" Tali asked irritably.

"Where else would I be?" Bob responded simply.

"I have movement." Vaya interrupted suddenly. "Half a dozen hostiles."

"Get into position." Laira told her. "Tali, are the security systems rewired?"

"For the most part." Tali replied through what sounded like a bout of intense concentration. "The recorders on the front of the base are on a loop, but the inside is giving me some trouble."

"Anything we can do?" Deshayla asked.

"Buy me some time." Tali muttered.

Vaya adjusted her scope and brought it up to eye level, dropping into a crouch. The barrel moved almost imperceptibly to one side, following the movements of a target unseen to the others at their current distance. "Ready to engage on your command."

Vaya was the only one to halt; the other four continued on their course towards the outpost. A blue field shimmered into existence around Liara, Deshayla drew a Paladin, and two heavy pistols appeared in Bob's hands. Deshayla glanced at him. "Those'll get hard to reload."

"Oh, I'll be fine." He assured her. "Juggling is second-nature."

"The hell-?"

The trail of an object propelled by mass effect fields bounced off of Liara's barrier, followed quickly by a the loud bark of gunfire from the other end of the area. Bob and Jeddah immediately took evasive action (though, notably, Deshayla simply stopped and looked around for a brief moment before shrugging and continuing forward). "Sniper!" Liara shouted.

Vaya's initiative did not disappoint. There was a responding _crack_ and Liara could vaguely make out what had seemed like merely a part of the scenery drop to the ground at the edge of the part of her vision in which she could make out details. _Well,_ she thought grimly, _Our cover of darkness is gone now._

Shots continued passing downrange, keeping their enemies from growing too bold while Liara launched her charge. But Vaya was using a single-shot weapon - she could only keep them suppressed so much. Desperately, Liara added low powered biotic flares to the mix, hoping that the Cerberus troops wouldn't recognize the difference between them and fully fledged explosive gravitic charges. Unfortunately, she only fully considered her situation until too late. Specifically, if an installation that Tali had trouble breaking into was even capable of producing stupid defenders.

Systematically, the defending force began popping up in unison to open fire between Vaya's shots. While their accuracy left something to be desired during Liara's bouts of weaving on the run, her barriers were still taking a beating. A shadow fell on her, and Deshayla overtook her. Within moments, her barrier restored itself, and she took the lead. When it fell again, the krogan's shields had time to adapt and reset. Almost instinctively, the two followed this procedure until they only had a few dozen meters between their feet and the base. Deshayla took the lead again, but Liara stopped cold. Between heavy intakes of breath, she couldn't muster the energy to release any flares again, much less an actual biotic assault. Instead, she relegated herself to crouching and opening fire with minimal accuracy. But at least it counted as suppressive fire. Maybe. On _some_ planet.

Jeddah rumbled past her. His blades had not been readied, so Liara assumed that he was waiting for conclusive evidence as to what type of opponents he was facing. Absently, she braced herself for Bob to pass.

She counted her breaths.

She fired several more times.

Finally, she turned around.

There was only Vaya, some distance back, diligently ejecting clip after clip.

She looked back. Bob was in the middle of the fray, using one enemy as a living shield while he executed another. Her mind reeled; how had he arrived so quickly? It didn't exactly matter in the context of that exact moment, but she preferred to know the exacts of such things. Quickly, she got to her feet and covered the rest of the distance, bringing her fist down and driving it into the helmet of a particularly troublesome Guardian. She spun on reflex to level a few shots at her next target, but there were none. Deshayla was stomping on the cracked armor of a Commando, Bob had just finished snapping the vertebrae of his shield, and Jeddah had a struggling phantom by the throat.

The geth looked at her and shrugged. "I, too, am unaware of what makes me such an appealing target to this particular specialization of Cerberus operative." The phantom punched him weakly a few times, then stopped moving entirely. Jeddah set her down, and Bob finished the job with an offhand pistol shot.

It was at that moment, more or less, that Tali and EDI arrived, both much too late to participate in that fracas that had just occurred. Vaya regrouped soon after. Apropos of nothing, however, the front door opened wide, revealing a second Commando. In an instant, all weapons were trained on him. However, his arms hung loosely at his sides, and he was weaponless. After an eternal second or two, he slouched forward. Behind him, one arm encased in an omni-tool and the other gripping a polished new Phalanx, was Miranda.

She had donned appropriate gear for the weather - clear goggles to keep sand out of her eyes and a breathing apparatus to guard against the unfriendly atmosphere - but she was back to her 'classic' outfit. Specifically, the white leather suit with the revealing upper torso cut. She looked around them and said, simply, "Well done."

"How did you get inside before us?" Tali asked.

"As it turns out, advanced tactical cloaking systems aren't as hard to get as you might think." Her eyes flicked towards Bob, and her fingers twitched.

"Operative Lawson." Bob sounded mildly surprised, but kept a respectful manner, dipping his head.

"Former." She corrected him. "I didn't realize you were still on deployment, Crazz."

"You two know each other?" Liara asked, surprised.

"By reputation only." Bob said.

Miranda snorted. "For you, maybe. But that trenchcoat isn't easy to forget. I take it you're with them as a teammate, not a prisoner?"

"A mix of both, for now." Bob shrugged.

"I'm not surprised." Miranda said dryly. "Shepard has a habit of attracting the best."

Deshayla nudged Bob's shoulder slightly with an elbow. "Hmh. We'll see."

Miranda nodded behind her. "We should get started. We've got so much to destroy, and so little time."

**[Author's Note: Be you a returning fan or a new viewer, I have only a select few words to add as a postscript.**

**Welcome to the new world.]**


	2. Chapter 29: War

The structure of the base interior wasn't overly complicated. In point of fact, Liara had seen many like it in her times; an initial entrance room, wider than it was long, with two doors leading outside and to the main level, respectively. It was like an airlock with crates. The crates themselves were not of great interest as they mostly held various parts rather than any completed weaponry of advanced systems, but she was looking through them anyway, to allow Tali, Miranda, Jeddah and EDI as much time as they felt was necessary to finish intruding upon the sanctity of Cerberus' 'secure network'. Which, so far, was living up to the first part.

"How long do you think we have?" Vaya asked.

"I set the cameras to a loop, so probably until someone really perceptive takes over the watch detail or until the next guard shift." Tali said.

"And that would be...?" Vaya asked, a note of irritation creeping into her tone.

"Anywhere from now to..." Tali began.

"A few hours." Miranda finished.

Vaya sighed and trained her sidearm on the door to the main level, legs tensed to duck and cover if anything came through that they couldn't handle with a few quick shots. Deshayla was covering the front entrance in much the same manner, and Bob was in his own corner of the room, supremely unconcerned either way, so it appeared.

"And how close are you to disabling security?" Bob asked calmly.

"Anywhere from now to a few hours." Miranda grumbled.

"Wait!" Tali exclaimed. "Did you see that?"

"Affirmative." Jeddah said. "It appears that the firewalls are continually becoming more advanced in an attempt to halt our access."

"Could it be an AI?" Bob suggested.

"If it is, it's at least as advanced as EDI." Tali said. "And built specifically for system defense."

Liara looked up from her latest crate. "Isn't EDI a Cerberus AI to begin with?"

All four of the technicians looked up and at each other at the same time. Miranda, quickest on the draw, spoke for all of them. "...Damn it."

"That means you're wasting your time, right?" Deshayla sounded, given the circumstances, far more excited than she had any right to be. "And that means we get to just storm in, right?"

"They're called tactics." Vaya growled. "Use them."

Deshayla turned her gaze to the hacker's circle. "Three of them alternate ducking to cover and coating the room in pairs. Just one can bring down physical systems like turrets down by nothing, if they got past an AI just in order to open the door. The geth and I take the lead to draw fire - we can take it enough to make them hurt before we hit cover. "

"Asari behind us, tossing some fools like drunk varren," She went on. "And the two scouts keeping to the shadows in order to gut the few in their own sets of cover. While we're making a ruckus, the and quarian head for the nearest control room, see if they have a better chance getting us into the systems with a direct link. The 'bot stays with us and plays havoc with anything that runs on electricity."

Vaya slid her omni-tool along the side of her pistol, charging the rounds with an armor-piercing coat. "Hm. Well all right, then."

"It's workable." Miranda commented with the slightest hint of surprise.

"Hey, I'm bored, not stupid." Deshayla motioned over her shoulder. "Can I kick the door?"

Liara drew her pistol and nodded. "Stay up front."

In the strictest sense of the word, Deshayla did not 'kick' the door, per se. However, once it slid open, her definition of the term 'stealth' left something to be desired. She was already in full stride when the inner locks clicked on the door mechanism, leaving it completely open. The rest of the team was in their planned positions within seconds.

At this point, those with the ability to think quickly began to notice that something was very wrong. The room was a carbon copy of a pirate installation - large, with white walls and graying floors, a stairwell on the left side leaning up to a balcony...two rooms, one on each level, one under the other. If they hadn't had the aim of killing everyone inside, Liara might have found the sight a bit nostalgia-inducing. Except for one problem.

There was nothing there.

The entire room was completely barred, as was the balcony above, as best she could tell. Both doors on the opposite side were closed and locked. Too late, she had an inkling of what was going on. As she turned to run out of the room while shouting a warning to her companions, she saw that all of them were within the confines of the main section. Then, the entry door closed. The panel turned red.

She heard a buzzing sound behind her, past the startled murmurs of everyone else, and spun quickly on her heel again, making her slightly dizzy. A solitary floating orb had come out of nowhere and was now settling about two meters off the ground. A small cone of orange light emitted from a 'mouth' on its front.

Within seconds, a holographic image was sitting on an eerily familiar chair in front of them.

"You're late." The Illusive Man said calmly.

* * *

"You know..." Chakwas said, glancing up from her medical records. "As pleased as I am that you've decided to stay in the medical bay, Commander...I'd really rather you were resting."

Shepard looked up. Her omni-tool was flashing in her hands, and her face, scrunched slightly in concentration, was lit fairly well by the close proximity. It took her a moment to register Chakwas' words, but when she did, she shook her head. "Sorry, Doctor. If I could, I would. But for some reason, I haven't been tired for a while. It's like combat adrenaline is still going."

"Really?" Chakwas asked interested, setting the pad down. "How long has this been going on?"

Shepard shrugged. "If I had to guess, since I woke up. Is it a residual effect from however Harbinger managed to keep me alive?"

"What, you've slept so long you just don't need to anymore?" Garrus piped up from his cot.

Chakwas paused to give Garrus a severe look. "Sleep doesn't work like that. The body can only recover so much energy during a sleep cycle. After that, you just have the ill effects and possibly hibernation, depending on the species."

"Does a stasis work any differently?" Shepard asked.

Chakwas nodded. "Quite possibly. If what Harbinger used works anything like an actual stasis pod, you might have stepped out exactly as you'd entered."

"That'd be a trick." Garrus pointed out. "She looked like hell afterwards. How did Harbinger beat us around to badly with those injuries?"

"If Reapers don't have or don't use any pain receptors - which would make a good deal of sense - he might have simply not noticed." Chakwas said.

"But they didn't take, right?" Shepard asked.

Chakwas shook her head. "Dr. Solus and I did the best we could while we had you, which was quite a bit. Intravenous protein transfers, a steady supply of medi-gel, a few choice surgeries..."

"But they didn't take, _right_?" Shepard asked again, more urgently.

"No, they didn't." Chakwas said. "Until you decided to wrestle a Thunderbeast, you were quite fine."

"Except for the deterioration..." Garrus muttered.

"Wait." Shepard held up a hand. "What?"

Chakwas sighed. "Dr. Solus and I detected some unusual activity in your nervous and muscle systems. Apparently, Harbinger's powers were starting to use your body as fuel. Falling apart at the seams, if slowly. Once we evicted him, however, you showed no signs of the problem."

Shepard sighed. As if she didn't already have enough problems without worrying about what that damn Reaper had left lying around in her body. Reluctantly, she switched off her omni-tool, leaving her eyes staring at the back of her arm. Her brow furrowed. "Doctor..." She asked. "Does my skin look paler to you?"

"Hmm?" Chakwas looked up from her scans and over at where Shepard was looking. By contrast, _her_ eyebrows rose until they almost couldn't be seen beneath her hair. "What on..."

Slowly, gingerly, Shepard wiped across her arm with the other hand. Her skin moved, much further than it normally should have. Both the others watched in growing horror as she gripped a patch of dead skin as large as her hand and peeled it off, revealing the raw pink underlayer beneath.

Desperately trying to keep calm, Shepard resorted to bland tones. "'No signs of the problem'."

* * *

"You're dead." Miranda said immediately, pointing an accusing finger at him as though he'd left his things lying around in her room.

"Hmm." The Illusive Man didn't appear overly perturbed by this. He drew in a breath from his cigar and took his time exhaling before he responded. "Reports of my death seem to have been exaggerated. I see you've been busy."

"You mean destroying your installations?" Miranda taunted. "For some reason, they seemed less vulnerable on the other side of the mirror."

"You never struck me as the type to become overly excited when taking a pawn." He warned. "Don't start now." His gaze swept over the rest of the group, who were quickly and visibly becoming agitated, and settled on Bob. His eyebrows rose. "Operative Crazz. I was wondering where you'd gone."

"Over the great windy waters, and over the clear-crested summits, unto the sun and the sky, and unto the perfecter earth..." Bob said. "I have gone _specifically_ to make your life as miserable as possible, 'boss'."

"A flawless example of why you remained so low-class an operative, despite your skill." The Illusive Man shook his head. "Then again, knowing what I know now, you might have been perfect for the apparent end result." He flashed a look at Miranda, then turned to EDI. He stared at her for a full seven seconds, puffed on his cigar, and then moved on to Liara. "Dr. T'Soni. Always a pleasure."

"For one of us, yes." Liara said coldly. "I imagine we're both on a tight schedule. What do you want?"

"A tight schedule?" He considered that. "No. Neither of us are, in fact. I have literally all the time in the galaxy. You have..." He checked a timepiece. "Until you die of starvation."

"We will find a way out of here." Liara warned.

"I have no doubts." He said. "However, at times I find myself wishing to indulge in my impatience. And, frankly, starvation seems to slow for me in this instance." He looked once again to Miranda. "I'll give my regards to Oriana."

The image disappeared, and the orb self-destructed with a quiet _pwift_.

They stood in stunned silence. Finally, Miranda managed to speak. "Did he just threaten my sister? I'm going to gut him with his own implants."

"How are we getting out of here?" Deshayla asked. "He wouldn't make a base without an emergency exit system just to screw us, would he?"

"Actually..." Miranda began.

"Nothing's unbreakable." Tali said reassuringly. "We just need to open one door."

"Three, on the off chance there's still something valuable here." Bob pointed out.

"Warning." Jeddah said suddenly. "Detecting organic life forms."

That was all the advance preparation they had when the agents attacked.

* * *

Kerrin was having a very smooth day, in comparison to everyone else. In his opinion, the smoothest for quite some time. The auxiliary med bay hadn't left him wanting for supplies, and none of his patients were in severe condition. It left him some much needed time to himself. Normally, he would have spent said free time running a few extra tests to make absolutely sure everyone was in top shape or (as of more recently) focused some extra effort on his Council-assigned task. But there was something that tugged at him much more insistently.

The OSD.

He rolled the device around on his palm for some time, reluctant to place it on his desk. The illogical suspicion that the furniture would swallow it nagged at his unconscious mind. Like he would lose it the moment it left his grasp. Not for even remotely the first time, he wondered what was contained within. He hadn't looked yet. Perhaps out of fear, trepidation? He wasn't sure. He was curious, certainly; most of what he knew about it centered around that it was somehow worth dying for. He doubted that, personally. He half-suspected it was due to naiveté, but he disliked the very idea that acquiring mere words was worth the loss of life.

That, and it was locked.

He'd tried looking at its files on a whim in the C-Sec headquarters, but his omni-tool had informed him that a passcode was required. And his knowledge of overcoming firewalls was painfully limited. Not only that, but all of the technical experts he could go to were on the mission or indisposed. Except...

He glanced back at the medical cots. Sure enough, one person wasn't among the resting. Kerrin considered the situation. This was important, surely, but could he risk getting someone else involved? Could he trust anyone but Deshayla to keep it a secret? Was he even certain that they would be able to access the files?

He exhaled and slipped the OSD into a pocket, standing slowly. Nothing could be gained by not trying at all, he rationalized. He asked one of EDI's nearby terminals to alert him if anything out of the ordinary occurred, and stepped into the elevator. When he exited on the third level, he immediately turned left. His hand rose, ready to knock on the door, but he hesitated. His mind let him know that this was his last chance to turn back and find another way.

He firmly refused the concept on the grounds that he generally disliked reclusion. His job may have made it necessary, but few people accomplished anything completely on their own. His fist rapped against the door once, twice, three times.

"Yeah, come in."

The door opened, and Kerrin stepped inside.

It was fairly large, as rooms went. He calculated that it was rectangular, eleven by three (give or take a few decimals) meters. Though, it was fairly bare - there was only a bed, a footlocker at its end, a small desk next to it, and a desk with a chair on the (relatively) eastern wall. Its main inhabitant was looking over what looked like a mostly-translucent chassis lying on the flawlessly-maintained bed. His omni-tool was alight, and he looked halfway between frustrated and perplexed. Kerrin empathized with the feeling - he'd felt that expression on himself numerous times when working on a seemingly unsolvable problem.

His face switched to slightly bemused when he turned and saw Kerrin there, though. He let his right hand lower, and the orange light fade with it. "Well I didn't expect to see you in here." Davisson said. "Something I can do for you, doc?"

Kerrin nodded. "Yes. I have something of a technical issue, and I thought perhaps you could help."

Davisson scratched his head. "Well, tech _is_ a forte of mine, but why me? I mean, you could probably just ask EDI."

"I trust you." Kerrin said simply. "Perhaps not in the way that comes with interaction, but you did assist in saving my life twice. That, and...I am uncertain of the...of EDI. I hope she does not take offense, but I am more comfortable in dealing with organic life."

"Trust it if you know how it works, right?" Davisson asked. Kerrin nodded, pleased that he had understood. "What's your issue?"

Kerrin revealed the OSD gingerly, as though it were a bomb waiting to explode. One of Davisson's eyebrows rose. "Do you remember when Deshayla and I told you about the incident in the clothing store?"

Davisson nodded. "Is this what you left out?"

"Yes, I-" Kerrin stopped, momentarily surprised. "You knew we hadn't told you everything?"

Davisson shrugged. "I wasn't going to tell anyone if you weren't."

"Yes, but how?" Kerrin asked, now curious.

"See this?" Davisson took a small device out from the inside of his ear. "It scans brain signals that people unconsciously transmit during conversation. It basically lets me read your mind."

"Ah..." Kerrin took an involuntary step back. "...Really?"

Davisson slipped it back in his ear and broke into a grin. "No, not really. That's a comm earbud. You and Deshayla traded really significant looks and you patted something in your pocket just before you skipped from the heist resolution to the C-Sec station, that's all."

Kerrin had to resist facepalming. "Was I that obvious?"

"Yeah, little bit." Davisson said apologetically. "Don't worry about it, though. I'm pretty sure no one else noticed."

"A-at any rate," Kerrin continued with an edge of nerves. "It's locked down. I can't access the files. I thought you might be able to hack into it."

"Hmm." Davisson took the OSD in two fingers and twisted his hand around, viewing the device from several angles. "Looks pretty standard..." His omni-tool came back on, and he frowned in concentration as he scanned the system. "Damn." He whistled. "It's got some nice defenses. I'll need a while with this one."

"But you _can_ hack in, correct?" Kerrin asked.

Davisson shrugged again. "Sure. Like I said, though, it'll take time. If you want, you can just wait for Tali to get back - she could probably break this thing wide open in a few minutes. Asleep. Or, you can leave it with me and I'll call you up when I've got it."

Kerrin shook his head. "I would prefer to have as few people as possible involved in this. She might inform Shepard." A realization hit him, and he started to ask another question.

Davisson cut him off when his mouth started to open. "My lips are sealed, doc. Don't worry."

Kerrin nodded. "Thank you. I should go back to my patients."

"See you." When the door closed, Davisson had his back to it, now absorbed in a new project.

* * *

They struck like shadows out of the dark. Wraiths, even, unseen until it was far too late. Even EDI and Jeddah's advanced detection systems were as much good as dowsing rods. _Strike that,_ Miranda thought grimly. _Depending on whether metaphysics is actually a possibility, dowsing rods might have been _better_. _

There were four of them - two packing shotguns, one with some kind of katana-like weapon, and one with just his hands. Otherwise, they were identical, right down to the symbol on their shoulders; a bird wreathed in flame, soaring upward.

_Well, at least Crazz should be feeling right at home. _She mused with a hint of bitterness. She knew that everyone else on the ground team had to have some merit, since the Normandy didn't contain idiots, as a general rule, but she immediately knew there would have to be casualties. They were dealing with Phoenixes, for god's sake.

She took her best chance immediately. She dove in between one of the agents with shotguns and the one without weaponry. If she had her guesses right, the latter would be primarily a biotic combatant. Even if not, she needed to get out of the killzone. Looking around as she moved, she saw that everyone else seemed to have the same idea. The krogan was following her instincts as far as they applied to close combat, and dodging shotgun blasts as she charged one of the quartet. The turian threw a drone at the one with the katana on one side and waited only briefly before moving past, giving him as wide a berth as possible. Crazz instead elected to charge directly at that Phoenix, firing bursts with his pistols. Liara followed Miranda's line of thought and brought up her barrier, looking quite ready to engage in a biotic throwdown with the unarmed Phoenix.

The synthetics, oddly enough, seemed to have the hardest time deciding what to do. Both EDI and the geth made for cover-by-movement, followed closely by Tali, but they didn't seem to be acting offensively.

"Former Operative Lawson," EDI asked calmly over their shared comm link. "Under your educated evaluation, do you believe that these soldiers possess sentience?"

Miranda put up her strongest barrier and had to cartwheel in order to avoid a shotgun blast to her torso. She was completely bewildered as to why EDI would ask such a thing. And in any case, she needed to catch her breath first. Across the room, Liara deflected a biotic burst straight into the katana wielder, forcing him to duck backwards and straight into the turian's line of fire. He completed the movement, using Crazz as a ladder for a backflip. The turian only narrowly avoided his follow-up blow. The krogan had one of the shotgunners on his back, but his head kept moving from side to side, avoiding her attempts at using it to make a new crater. His hand was, ever so slowly, beginning to move her other foot with brute force.

But Miranda noticed something. She was looking between the lines. Their movements were eloquent, practiced, but they lacked something important. Variety. They followed a single course of action, and with great skill, but they didn't mix anything up, it was all forward and forward some more. She'd seen it before. It was the mark of a combatant that didn't have a feeling of desperation.

All of this went through her mind in the tenths of seconds it took for her to complete her acrobatic maneuver. When she landed, she had just enough time to speak before racing off to a better position, for all the good she thought it would do. "No. They're not."

"Thank you."

The Phoenix trying to kill Miranda saw the movement out of the corner of his eye. That was all he needed to dodge EDI's shot. But it disrupted his concentration enough to give Miranda some breathing room. And just enough to give the someone else an opportunity. For most of the others, the battle was progressing to frightening ferocity. But Jeddah's systems were operating at peak capacity. His logic matrices and combat operation systems were virtually all that he'd set to activate. To him, everyone else was moving painfully slowly. Every unguarded position, every variable open to manipulation, was as clear as day.

Even so, it was difficult to keep pace with the Phoenix he'd chosen to engage. Or, it would have been. However, Tali was thinking ahead. The miniature grenade soared over the Ceberus agent's back when he leaned forward, and put him right in the line of fire. Tali had been containing her shots until that moment, and he didn't see the blast of electricity coming. It disrupted his armor systems to the point where he was stunned momentarily.

But moments are quite enough for synthetics in combat. One hard metal foot in a snap kick to the back of the knee, and the Phoenix leaned back. His shotgun hand thrust forward, and his unoccupied appendage threw itself out to catch his fall. And his chest rose in a graceful arc. Jeddah's leg continued in its movement and slammed into his enemy's torso. Jeddah calculated a high probability of internal damage and an even higher probability of a total fall. Both occurred.

His joint moved in the middle of its descent, presenting his knee at the main point of contact. Every single rib shattered under the sheer force, and the ground underneath the Phoenix followed suit, cracking. Jeddah brought his fist, which had been cocked and ready ever since the snap kick, forward, driving it into the facemask in front of him. It cracked, but didn't fully break. It was enough, though. One of his omni-blades expanded forward into the breach like a glaive, pinning the Phoenix' brain stem to the back of his skull...after having severed it.

He stood, turning to the rest of the battlefield. He briefly wondered if he had just violated his personal ethics. He immediately discounted that on two grounds. Firstly, Former Operative Lawson had stated that they did not fall within the boundaries of sentient life. They were Cerberus puppets, and from what little Jeddah knew of the organization, loss of life might yet have been considered a mercy.

Secondly, they had forfeited their chances of at least sustained consciousness when they had attempted to murder his allies. His friends. His eye turned red. The other two omni-blades spun to their full lengths. Tali moved up beside him, continuing a barrage of shock fire.

The Phoenixes had already noticed the geth's permanent incapacitation of their counterpart, and now apparently they recognized an obvious threat when they saw it. The two left that could move did so at top speed. The biotic got around a meter before he, too, couldn't progress. This was largely due to being encased in a sheath of biotic energy. The other clearly didn't anticipate that Bob's reflexes would be equal to (or, in this case, slightly better than) his own, and thus ignominiously tripped over an outstretched leg. Bob elected to play copycat to Jeddah's style, except he used a biotically-charged fist rather than a metallic knee to nearly break his victim in half. Vaya took a step back, dropped her pistol, and drew her sniper rifle with one hand. Still holding it with that single hand, she aimed and fired.

If there is one thing that can be said for the turians, it is this - they rarely miss. The Phoenix learned that the hard way. Unfortunately, the new hole in his cranium prevented him from processing or remembering this information. On the other side of the room, Deshayla had two hands wrapped around her struggling opponent's head. Unfortunately, the main design flaw of even an augmented Cerberus trooper is that their bodies maintain human density and resistance. Two things which, in humans, are not sufficient to resist a krogan tearing one's head off.

Liara took a good look at the Phoenix she froze and remarked, dryly, "Does no one in the galaxy bother to maintain their barriers to any sufficient degree?" She sighed and shook her head. "Miranda?"

"Right." Miranda wrapped a biotic field around him and it tossed him straight up where he crashed into the ceiling at speeds normally reserved for daytime traffic, and then landed headfirst at roughly the same speed. "I should note that I feel bloody cheated. We should all be dead."

"Oh, quite." Bob said cheerfully, bending down to pick up the katana of his fallen opponent. He inspected it closely, twirling it a few times, then shrugged, took it and its scabbard, and slid both into his trenchcoat. "I expected more of a challenge from Phoenixes. Perhaps these were old versions?"

"I find it hard to believe that the Illusive Man would use any less than the best in an attempt to kill us." Liara said.

"That was not the Illusive Man." EDI said evenly. "I identified his optic implants on a skeleton on the Citadel."

"So we're being tricked." Vaya summarized. "But by whom?"

"The same person trying to kill us with this trap, I imagine." Miranda said.

"Hah! Some trap!" Deshayla laughed, tossing her new head to Bob. "Your big talk about Phoenix Projects almost made me nervous. If I'd known they were such weaklings..."

"Oh krogan, my krogan!" Bob caught the head and riposted cheerfully. "Were it so easy. I think I agree with Dr. T'Soni - this was a little suspiciously trivial to be a best attempt. Perhaps we're being tested, or simply underestimated, but either way, don't make the latter mistake against any of our enemies. I have a feeling we're just getting started."

"Hmh." Deshayla mulled that over. "Figure yours comes off as easy?" She sounded merely curious, as opposed to threatening.

"I'd think not." Bob passed the head back to her. "But Ahab wouldn't have met his end had he not made the mistake of facing so mighty a foe. I don't think I shall be so foolish that we'll have to find out."

"Well," Deshayla tossed the head up and caught it like a ball from a game thoughtfully. "Looks like our fearful journey's done. Let's go see if we got our prize, huh?"

Bob had to take a moment in surprise at that. "Ahh, so you _are_ familiar."

"C'mon, who doesn't know Whitman?" Deshayla said, already walking off. "Like I said; Bored, not dumb."

"Tali, can you open these doors?" Miranda asked, resolutely ignoring the banter occurring behind her.

"Probably." Tali said uncertainly, holstering her weapon and moving up to the door on the lower level. "It looks like a simple entry system, which means fewer ways for me to get around any countermeasures..."

She cursed under her breath. "This could take a while."

"Well, the Illusive Man was right about one thing." Liara said. "We have until we die of starvation."

"We can divvy him up if we start feeling it." Deshayla said offhandedly, looking at Bob.

"And here I thought we were bonding." Bob replied in mock offense.

"Hey," Deshayla said in equal tones. "Making sure I'm not hungry is important, you should be honored."

"Oh, surely."

* * *

"And we still have contact with the ground team?" Garrus asked.

He was still in his medical cot, trying to keep the strain out of his voice. From what he could hear of it, he wasn't doing a very good job. EDI and Joker were on the other side of the comm terminal, keeping the command group up to date on what was happening groundside in increments. The last report had been 'we're walking'. He was almost interested to know whether they'd reached the base yet.

To his right, Shepard was also listening in, but relegated to as little commentary as possible. Possibly due to panic, Chakwas had used every buffer towards physical health she could think of. Multiple constant scans, an IV, even an oxygen mask. Shepard, for her part, looked somewhat annoyed by it all. In her words, it 'wasn't as though I'm under repeated cardiac arrest. I'm jus-'

"Breaking apart at the seams?" Chakwas had countered, which stopped any further argument. But the Commander didn't have to like it.

"Yes." EDI responded. "I am still connected to my physical unit. We have recently survived two encounters with Cerberus defensive forces."

"Details." Garrus said.

"The first group was merely a main guard of half a dozen assault units. We dispatched them with ease." EDI explained. "However, the security systems protecting the inner workings of the base appear to be under the protection of an advanced AI unit specifically designed with such a task in mind."

"So it's like you, but with locks instead of a vessel." Garrus summed up.

"Not _that_ advanced." EDI said with a hint of reproach.

"Sorry." Garrus held up a hand." Go on."

"However, our incursion appears to be more complicated than we had originally planned. After an encounter with a non-localized holographic representation of the Illusive Man..."

"Come again?" Garrus asked, alarmed.

Shepard moved her oxygen mask to reply. "He's dead, that's impossible. I convinced him to kill himself aboard the Citadel last...five years ago."

"Our analysis is also that the hologram was only a facsimile." EDI confirmed. "However, we are unaware at this time as to whom is behind the treachery. I find it difficult to believe that Cerberus is without a leader."

"Didn't you mention that their bases so far have been easy to break?" Shepard asked. "Maybe they're just individual cells, now."

"The facsimile made an interesting comment to Former Operative Lawson utilizing a chess metaphor. He implied that these bases were intentionally weakened."

"Why?" Garrus asked, bewildered. "What's the point of that?"

"We do not know at this time." There was a pause, then EDI continued. "We are currently attempting to bypass the security systems from within in order to deactivate the anti-aircraft defenses around the perimeter of the structure."

There was a brief transmitted sound byte of Tali repeatedly referring to something frustratedly as a 'bosh'tet', in addition to various other unflattering terms.

"It is not going as well as we would like it to." EDI said dryly.

"Does the interior have a defense system?" Garrus asked.

"Not that we have been able to discover." EDI paused again. "However, we _were_ ambushed by multiple Cerberus agents. Members of the Phoenix Project."

"That sounds familiar..." Shepard mused. "Give us the highlights."

"The Phoenix Project was originally designed as a Cerberus initiative with the intention of enhancing human physiology with relation to biotic potential. It is essentially a continuation of the testing and development that lead to Subject Zero. However, during the Reaper War and apparently afterward, Cerberus began making more varied investments.

Rather than focusing merely on biotic potential, the goal was, from that point forward, to make a substantially 'better' human in every respect. Individual soldiers were significantly faster, stronger, more agile, and more intelligent, among other benefits. However, this was achieved by replicating the technology that Reapers have used in order to create husks, stripping away the possibility for weakness more often than simply enhancing a strength. As well, due to the significant advancements made in the advent of Subject Zero's 'success' and the enhancements developed during Project Lazarus, even originally non-biotic operatives developed significant biotic potential. Those who began with such abilities were, as per the standard, a great deal stronger than their traditional human or, even, in some cases, asari counterparts.

Each Phoenix member that survived the process was ranked according to their total power. Cerberus used a ranking system similar to advanced Alliance military projects. However, rather than only advancing to seven, as with Alliance special operations, the Phoenix Project has been known to advance to eight. Unfortunately, recent evidence has led me to believe that they may be capable of improving the system to allow for Phoenix nines and tens, and possibly further."

"What makes you think they're getting stronger?" Shepard asked.

"Former Operative Crazz identifies as a Phoenix Ten."

"And the ones you fought?" Garrus inquired.

"Phoenix Sevens."

Shepard nodded. "Can the team get out, with the security systems as advanced as they are?"

"I have confidence in Admiral Tali'Zorah's capacity for surmounting technical difficulties." EDI assured her. "The completion of this mission should take less than several hours."

"Plenty of time for you to sit back and relax, then, Commander." Chakwas interjected, shooting Shepard a stern look.

* * *

It took some time for the mechanics to come up with a reliable plan in regards to the security systems, and even longer for it to take effect. Originally, Tali suggested that EDI project some kind of white noise into the system, so that the hostile AI would need to spend time recalibrating, allowing her to break in. But, as it turned out, only one user could get into the system at a time, and there was no remote access. They were beginning to suspect that the seemingly simple door control pad was much more complex than its face indicated.

Slightly frustrated, Tali attempted to continue the process by rote, but it seemed as though the machine could go on all day. Which, in fact, it could. Vaya at one point suggested overloading the motherboard, but the only thing that would accomplish, as several of them pointed out, would be frying the door's systems in a possibly permanent fashion.

Eventually, Tali stepped back to brainstorm, and Deshayla took a few tries in an attempt to just break it down, but the krogan's strength was foiled repeatedly. Finally, Miranda suggested that Bob slash the door with his sword. He did, to her surprise, which was nothing in comparison to her shock when the blade went cleanly through the metal.

"Hm." Bob eyed the blade dispassionately. "Well, now I'm even happier that I avoided being struck. Being sans a torso might be most disagreeable."

"What is it?" Tali asked interestedly. "I don't think I've seen that design before."

"I have no idea, but the scabbard seems immune." Bob demonstrated by sheathing and drawing the weapon several times, then shrugged. "A monomolecular design seems similar, but I don't think it has this kind of power."

"A variation on the HVB's, maybe." Miranda suggested, then her eyes narrowed somewhat. "You're not going to keep it, are you?"

Bob's eyes were the only parts of his face that were visible, but he managed to look somewhat surprised. "I didn't see a reason not to."

"Do you even know how to use a sword?" She asked caustically.

Bob drew the sword and considered it. With a series of blazing fast movements, he sliced through the door in front of him, producing a large 'X' inscribed in the metal. As part of his last strike, he let the swing's momentum carry him in a circle, and his boot impacted the door, causing it to cave open neatly. Without missing a beat, he slid it away. "I'll learn."

Nearby, Deshayla rubber her shoulder and snorted. "Show off."

Miranda leaned closer to Liara and murmured something. The asari nodded grimly. "Fine, but don't expect replacement limbs." Miranda said.

The interior of the room was a simple flat layout, with several bunks (presumably to accommodate the defenders of the installation) and footlockers of spare clothes leaning against the wall. A single terminal stuck out of the wall to the left of the entrance, but it looked as though it had been shot, deactivated, burned, and rigged as a bomb. And not necessarily in that order.

"Only six beds." Tali pointed out, looking to Bob. "Phoenixes don't sleep, then?"

"There are a few optional modifications that allow for automatic rejuvenation of the mind and body..." Bob said. "Something of a proto-sleep. Imperfect, but useful."

"Optional?" Tali sounded surprised.

"Well, yes. The come in...packages, I suppose you could say." Bob explained. "All uploaded to a muscle group, nervous center, portion of a brain and so on at once. Some, like the biotic aptitude packages, are mandatory, but there are several lists of 'niche' modifications to suit each individual soldier. I suppose it seemed like a good idea to let them think they had a choice."

They began filing out of the room. "And...do you have the one that allows for no sleep?" Tali continued.

Perhaps it was a trick of the light, or perhaps he let whatever system hid his face lower itself for a time, but for a brief moment, Bob's soft smile was visible. "I can't think of a greater or more wondrous escape than dreams. For the life of me, I still can't understand those who did choose it."

"So help me, if he starts spouting a poem about dreams, I reserve the right to shoot him." Miranda muttered.

The room on the upper floor was, on the whole, far more interesting. For one thing, it was at least half the size of the main level, which was an impressive achievement in itself. Terminals much like the one in the commons lined the walls on either side, and a massive on the side opposite the entrance. This machine drew the attention of all who entered, largely due to the pulsing blue lights it emitted. It was vaguely reminiscent of a sleeping squidlike creature, holographic tentacles flailing slowly in circles.

"That's going to be the AI hub, then." Miranda pointed at it.

"This one could have more than one access node..." Tali said reflectively. "Jeddah, EDI, come with me."

While they went about their business, Liara moved to one of the lesser terminals. "It's online." She said, surprised. "And unlocked."

"What?" Miranda asked incredulously, following her to take a look. Sure enough, the black background screen (with the Cerberus symbol superimposed in the center) was littered with data files and connections to data files. However, each one appeared to have no links, or flashed an 'ERROR: data corrupted' message whenever one tried to follow it. The silver lining was in that one icon lead cleanly to a mostly-empty inbox which the previous user had apparently forgotten to lock down.

"Looks like they weren't thorough enough..." Miranda opened several messages in quick succession; most were merely concerning prescriptions and dosages for healthy living with CerberusTech©, but one in particular was of interest.

_Operative Proxy -_

_If I've told you once, I've told you a thousand times; the HG may be controlled by us, but it is not a launching point. Keep your strike teams out of the Omega Cluster - that's Shadow's territory - or I'll pull augmentation R&D on your Phoenixes. Maybe if I'm in a bad mood that day, I'll tell T.I.M. about this._

_- Operative Dice_

"Weren't we just told that the Illusive Man is dead?" Miranda asked quizzically.

"And why would they be worried about the Omega Cluster?" Liara was equally bemused. "To the best of my knowledge, the Shadow Broker operates without a specific territory."

"It could mean someone other than him." Miranda suggested. "'Shadow' is just cliché and ambiguous enough to use as a name for any number of would be crime lords."

"But would Cerberus be concerned about angering 'any number of would be crime lords'?" Liara countered.

The lights flickered, and the two of them looked around, half expecting another attack. Instead, Tali said "Got it." over the comm channel, sounding pleased.

"There will be no problems from here, then?" Vaya asked.

"Not from the VI, no." Tali slid a small disc into one of her pockets.

"It was only a virtual intelligence?" Liara asked.

"An extremely focused and advanced virtual intelligence, yes." EDI elaborated.

"And the defenses are down, so we should get back aboard the Normandy, let Shepard know what's going on." Tali said.

"I have been keeping Commander Shepard up to date on our progress." EDI supplied.

"...And get in some rest before something _else_ happens." Tali continued.

* * *

"The ground crew is returning, Shepard." EDI said calmly. "The mission was technically a failure, as we failed to apprehend Harbinger. However, this Cerberus installation is now eliminated as a potential threat for the time being."

Shepard turned. "Garrus?"

He nodded. "I've already called in support. I can't say Empyreus is thrilled to be our cleanup crew lately, but he'll have the planet secured inside of a few hours."

"Admiral." EDI interrupted. She sounded odd, confused. "I am receiving a message for you from an unknown caller."

Garrus and Shepard exchanged wary glances. The only people they knew cloak-and-dagger enough to not use identification were either aboard or on the ground team. "What kind?" Shepard asked.

"It appears to have no external links, nor viruses that I can detect." EDI said. "However, it is one-way."

"Let it through." Garrus said, remaining prepared for anything.

At first, nothing happened. Then, another voice filled the med bay. He had a slight accent that Garrus couldn't place, though it sounded familiar. "Ahh, Admiral Vakarian. I hope the day finds you well. I imagine you're wondering exactly who I am. Well, unfortunately, that will have to remain a secret."

Garrus stared into the terminal with unusual intensity. Whatever was going on, those opening words hadn't done much to instill him with confidence.

"But I am not merely sending this to be vague." The voice went on. "You see, I am willing to make a deal to ensure you and your companions are hindered slightly less than normal as you go about your affairs. In return, all I ask is the removal of a thorn in my side."

There was a pause.

"Bring me Robert Crazz and the turian soldier known as Renar."

This proclamation left both Shepard and Garrus struck dumb, allowing the message to continue with all the urgency of someone asking to borrow some butter. "But of course, this would not be so fair a trade for you, no? Two people for such a small thing? No. I will also throw in a little something..." The tone lowered somewhat, reminiscent of someone stepping away from a recording device. 'Bring her here' and 'Just as I told you, my dear' could be heard.

A new voice, this one feminine, and with a distinct flange, came to the fore. "Garrus?"

Garrus' mandibles widened to the point that Shepard thought they might break, and his tone of voice chilled her to the bone. "S-Solana?"

"They took me..." Solana continued. She sounded pained, and she grunted every few words as though she was struggling against some sort of bond. "I don't know where...he told me to say this to you directly, so you'd know...Garrus, don't come after me, these men will-" The sound of metal striking flesh resonated around them, and the other voice, the male one, returned.

"That will do. So! This is quite clear, then, yes? Bring me Crazz and Renar, and not only will you have your sister, you won't have to deal with me again." He took on a warning tone. "But know this, Vakarian - I have spies _everywhere_. Double-cross me, and you will see neither her nor me _ever again_."

There was another pause, the unmistakable pause of someone savoring a particularly sweet moment. "The location of our meeting place is enclosed with the message. I look forward to meeting you in person. Auf wiedersehen."

The message ended, leaving silence in its wake.

"I have decrypted the forwarded location." EDI sounded calm. "It is on Omega."

Shepard wasn't paying attention. She was focused on Garrus. His eyes were just starting to turn from horrified disbelief to the unbridled rage she'd only seen once before. "EDI..." He sounded as though he was trying to remain calm. He was failing. Miserably. "Is the ground team back yet?"

"Affirmative." EDI said.

"Garrus..." Shepard didn't like the turn the conversation was taking.

"Where's Crazz?" He asked.

"The auxiliary medical bay. However..." EDI didn't get a chance to finish. In a flash, Garrus was out of his cot and practically running towards the elevator.

"Garrus!" Shepard shouted. She choked on something, and devolved into a coughing fit. She noticed blood on the inside of her oxygen mask, but continued. "Damn it...EDI, get your body to the auxiliary bay. Doctor..."

Chakwas had already gotten a hold of a medical kit and was rolling a wheelchair up to the side of Shepard's cot. Shepard nodded and placed herself atop it. "EDI, keep me posted. What's happening?"

XXX

"To summarize, it seemed easier than I remember." Bob said.

True to EDI's word, he was leaning against a wall next to Renar's bed in the auxiliary med bay, regaling the turian with the mission's high points. Nearby, Kaidan's back was turned to them, and his chest rose and fell rhythmically while he slept, and Kerrin was seated, looking over some medical data. Deshayla stood by his side, taking turns between assisting the process and making sure that no one snuck up behind them.

Renar had made a fairly quick recovery, all things considered. He managed to escape from his encounter with Jelanis only suffering from a few broken bones and bruising. Painful, but not particularly serious, especially not after Kerrin had finished his diagnosis and subsequent treatment.

His arms folded, and he frowned. "These Phoenix agents, they're like you, right?"

"Somewhat." Bob admitted. "Though, if I may allow a bit of egotism into my explanation, they aren't quite as advanced."

The elevator door across the room opened. Renar looked over, and instantly knew something was wrong. Garrus had stepped out, and wasn't stopping. His steps made a line straight towards them, and even worse was his face. He'd _never_ seen his father this furious.

"What-" Renar began to ask, but too late. Garrus gripped Bob by the throat and slammed him bodily into the wall.

"WHO SENT YOU?!" He roared. Bob had to take a moment to allow his eyes to focus. Renar's flicked to his trenchcoat and noticed that while his arms were hanging loosely around the point where his weapons would be holstered, he hadn't drawn anything. Bob tapped Garrus' arm repeatedly and pointed at his throat. Garrus growled and relaxed his grip, but didn't let go entirely.

"What..." Bob coughed. "What are you talking about?"

"You know damn well what I'm talking about!" Garrus shouted. Around him, Kerrin had stood, and his omni-tool was readied, though he looked unsure as to whom he should anesthetize. Deshayla was actually sitting down, looking interested and amused that a fight was starting. Kaidan looked bleary-eyed and confused, but still had his hand aglow, pointing at Bob. "Who wants you, and why did they take Solana?!"

"I'm afraid..." Bob grunted and adjusted himself to stand on tiptoe. "I'm afraid you'll have to give me some context."

Garrus looked ready to start punching him into the wall, but behind him, the elevator door opened again. Dr. Chakwas, pushing Shepard in a wheelchair and followed by EDI's body, stepped out hurriedly. It struck Renar that Shepard looked _terrible_. She was certainly paler, looked like she was having some mild difficulty breathing, and it even seemed like some of her skin was dead in patches. But that must have been a trick of the light. "Garrus," She said warningly. "This isn't going to solve anything."

Renar blinked, and another figure appeared from nowhere. It was Devis, holding an omni-blade horizontally in front of him. It wasn't raised threateningly at anyone; rather, it was apparently intended to act like a barrier to separate the two grapplers. "We've got this." He murmured. "He's not going anywhere. Let's all calm down and swap details, all right?"

Garrus growled and released Bob entirely. The agent's boots made a thud as they hit the ground, and he massaged his throat gingerly with one hand. "Might someone enlighten me as to what's going on?" Bob asked. "I hardly thought my performance on the planet was this unsatisfactory."

"I hope not." Deshayla piped up. "You were just starting to get interesting."

"We just got a message upstairs." Shepard explained. "Someone's just kidnapped his sister, and they want the two of you in return."

Bob and Renar immediately turned to exchange dark looks as they came to the same conclusion. "Gadschalk."

Shepard frowned. "Who?"

"A criminal of the worst kind." Bob sounded like he was swallowing bile. "We disrupted a section of his operation on the Citadel. This sort of retaliation seems right up his alley."

"Why would he come after me?" Garrus asked. He looked marginally calmer, but still one twitch away from taking a crowbar to anyone too close.

"He had a vendetta against you, personally, even before this week, it seems." Bob said.

Everyone else who had eyebrows raised them. Those who didn't raised their equivalent. "What?" Garrus sounded off guard.

Renar took the opportunity to jump in. "It's true. Just before the two of us started hunting for Jelanis, Gadschalk sent a group of thugs to capture me. Something about their weaponry told me they weren't recruiting."

"That doesn't make any sense." Garrus said. "I've never even heard of him before. And why me? There are plenty of other high-profile targets, even just looking at the turian military. The Primarch, Empyreus..."

Out of all of them, it was Davisson who looked as though he'd just had a very unpleasant epiphany. "Oh _sonnuvabitch_."

"What?" Renar and Garrus asked in unison.

"Remember that vague-as-hell reminder I gave Empyreus when I was trying to get him to give Garrus free reign over his duty schedule?" Davisson asked rhetorically. They nodded. "A few years back, me and my team ran an op on Noveria. We never figured out who, but someone had taken Empyreus' sister and held her for what was basically ransom. He wanted me and Dakk."

"Story fits." Bob confirmed. "But why would he have a vendetta against the turians?"

"You don't know?" Garrus asked caustically.

Bob shook his head. "I only targeted his operations because his methods make _Cerberus_ balk. I didn't look up his reasoning."

"So you got a plan?" Deshayla inquired.

"My _plan_ is to take the whole damn crew to Omega and dismantle it brick by brick, then come back with Gadschalk's head." Garrus sighed, trying to reassert control over himself. "But that won't work. I don't think he'll hesitate to kill Solana if he notices anything suspicious."

"What can I do?" Bob asked immediately.

"Why do you ask?" Garrus shot back.

Maybe it was just Renar's imagination, but Bob's eyes seemed to glow more brightly for just a moment. "I came aboard the Normandy because I wanted to help people. _You_ are people. So is your sister."

"Don't forget your blood oath against Gadschalk." Renar reminded him.

"Hmh." Bob cocked his head ever so slightly to one side. "That would also be a factor."

"Good." Garrus said, much to their surprise. "Because you two are coming with me. Gadschalk needs to see that you're in tow, or he'll kill Solana." He turned to look at Shepard, mouth open, and then saw the full extent of her condition.

She grimaced. "If only. Go. Fire a few extra shots for me."

Garrus nodded. "Tell Joker to set a course for Omega." He said to EDI.

"Do you have a plan aside from walk in?" Renar asked formally.

"Yes." Garrus looked at them with burning eyes, calculating every move. "We make the meeting and beat Gadschalk to death with his own spine."

Once more, Bob and Renar traded glances. Bob shifted his trenchcoat and tapped the hilt of a katana strapped to his hidden belt. "I like that plan."

**[Author's Note: I'm sorry about not posting a chapter last week. So sorry, in fact, that this one is just under double length. Cheers.**

**EDIT: However, I will be taking a hiatus. No idea how long. However, I CAN assure you readers that I will return. I intend to finish this.]**


End file.
